A Childs Garden of Verses | Page 3

X
Travel

I should like to rise and go?Where the golden apples grow;--?Where below another sky?Parrot islands anchored lie,?And, watched by cockatoos and goats,?Lonely Crusoes building boats;--?Where in sunshine reaching out?Eastern cities, miles about,?Are with mosque and minaret?Among sandy gardens set,?And the rich goods from near and far?Hang for sale in the bazaar;--?Where the Great Wall round China goes,?And on one side the desert blows,?And with the voice and bell and drum,?Cities on the other hum;--?Where are forests hot as fire,?Wide as England, tall as a spire,?Full of apes and cocoa-nuts?And the negro hunters' huts;--?Where the knotty crocodile?Lies and blinks in the Nile,?And the red flamingo flies?Hunting fish before his eyes;--?Where in jungles near and far,?Man-devouring tigers are,?Lying close and giving ear?Lest the hunt be drawing near,?Or a comer-by be seen?Swinging in the palanquin;--?Where among the desert sands?Some deserted city stands,?All its children, sweep and prince,?Grown to manhood ages since,?Not a foot in street or house,?Not a stir of child or mouse,?And when kindly falls the night,?In all the town no spark of light.?There I'll come when I'm a man?With a camel caravan;?Light a fire in the gloom?Of some dusty dining room;?See the pictures on the walls,?Heroes, fights and festivals;?And in a corner find the toys?Of the old Egyptian boys.
XI
Singing

Of speckled eggs the birdie sings
And nests among the trees;?The sailor sings of ropes and things
In ships upon the seas.
The children sing in far Japan,
The children sing in Spain;?The organ with the organ man
Is singing in the rain.
XII
Looking Forward

When I am grown to man's estate?I shall be very proud and great,?And tell the other girls and boys?Not to meddle with my toys.
XIII
A Good Play

We built a ship upon the stairs?All made of the back-bedroom chairs,?And filled it full of sofa pillows?To go a-sailing on the billows.
We took a saw and several nails,?And water in the nursery pails;?And Tom said, "Let us also take?An apple and a slice of cake;"--?Which was enough for Tom and me?To go a-sailing on, till tea.
We sailed along for days and days,?And had the very best of plays;?But Tom fell out and hurt his knee,?So there was no one left but me.
XIV
Where Go the Boats?

Dark brown is the river,
Golden is the sand.?It flows along for ever,
With trees on either hand.
Green leaves a-floating,
Castles of the foam,?Boats of mine a-boating--
Where will all come home?
On goes the river
And out past the mill,?Away down the valley,
Away down the hill.
Away down the river,
A hundred miles or more,?Other little children
Shall bring my boats ashore.